A Bird In The Hand
by BettyHT
Summary: The fifth in the Annie series. Adam and Annie travel to San Francisco and into a mystery and danger which eventually ensnares their son and causes an agonizing decision. Adam and Annie, with the family's help, will need to defeat some nasty and mostly unseen villains but get help from Maggie who was introduced in Je t'aime!.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Tears were slow to dry on Annie's cheeks, and were often sliding down again as she thought of leaving her son at home. Adam held her hand and rubbed his thumb across the back of it. There was little he could do to comfort her at this point. He kept getting disapproving looks from the other people in the stage no doubt wondering what this dark man had done to upset the pretty woman so much. He couldn't ask her to talk about it for it would only make it hurt more so he simply did his best to let her know that he understood. At the first way station, and the second, and then at the third, he asked her if she wanted to go back home. At the third station as they waited for dinner, the two walked outside away from the others for some privacy.

"Do you want to go back home? I can put you on the return stage tomorrow and head off to San Francisco on my own."

"No, we agreed to do this, but it's just so difficult. I never thought I could have a child, and then to have Andrew made me feel like I was as rich as a queen. I guess that's what makes me a bit overprotective of him. He may be the only child I ever have, and I would die if anything happened to him."

"Sweetheart, I know what you mean. When we married, I was already older than most men who marry and you thought you couldn't have a child. Then we were blessed with our son. But we also have us and we do a better job of being his parents if we take care of us and our relationship too. This trip is important to us, and we'll only be gone a week. He'll probably be spoiled rotten by the time we get back with his grandparents catering to his every whim."

With a slight smile then, Annie leaned into Adam as he wrapped his arms around her. He was hampered a bit by the light splint he still had on his left arm which was broken when he got a bad ride at the annual rodeo. Annie tried to relax and not worry so much, and thought what she would do was to try to concentrate on Andrew being spoiled as the problem they would face rather than all the other things that she feared. Annie had not been away from Andrew for more than four hours since he was born until recently when he had been weaned. He was eating solid food and her mild could not keep up with his appetite. Adam said he was afraid his son was going to grow up to look like Hoss. Ben said though that Adam had eaten a lot as a child but stayed slender until his twenties. Joe had picked up on that.

"So, what are you saying, Pa? You think Adam is fat now?"

"No, Joseph, what I was saying is that he filled out more as a man later."

"Yeah, Joe, when he was younger, he was a skinny little snipe like you only taller." Joe threw his boot at Hoss for that comment.

It was that bantering and those stories that Annie would miss most when they finished building their own home. The foundation was done and the frame was up. Adam planned to get a lot more done once they returned with things that he hoped to buy in San Francisco and ship home immediately. He had told her that if all went well, they would likely be in their new home before Thanksgiving. Ben had already exacted a promise that they would eat lunch or dinner with him and the rest of the family as often as they could. Adam had planned an office in his new house and hoped to start doing some architectural work. He had plans for some of the new elements that were in houses and wanted to make their house a showpiece for his work. So the trip to San Francisco was to finalize some contracts, buy things for the house, and rekindle their romantic relationship. Andrew did not fit into those plans and had stayed behind with the enthusiastic support of Ben and Michele who looked forward to a week of time with their grandson.

"I've been thinking about everything, and some things make me so happy, but leaving Andrew behind is just so hard."

"I know sweetheart. But he'll be fine, and think of how happy he will be when we get back."

"But what if he isn't? What if he just wants to spend time with his grandparents after we abandoned him?"

"Annie, we did not abandon him, and if you think a week will cause any less love between you and your son, then you are very mistaken. You two have a bond that will never be broken."

"Because I spent only a short time with Mama Inger, about the same time you have had with Andrew, and she is still in my heart and Hoss' too. He will miss you but not too much with Pa and Michele there. When you get back, he's going to throw his arms open wide and want to spend all of his time with you." That image finally lifted Annie from her low and made her smile just to think of it. "There, now when you're feeling down, just put that image in your mind."

After Annie dried her tears, the two headed inside for dinner with the driver and the other passengers. After dinner, when Adam stepped outside with the driver and the other male passenger, the two ladies pulled Annie aside for a talk.

"We've noticed how sad and worried you are. If that man is hurting you, we can get you away from him."

"That man is my husband."

"That doesn't matter. I got my daughter here away from that abusive worthless piece of trash she married. My husband is outside, and he'll help."

"No, no, Adam is wonderful. I'm just sad that we left our son. He's home with his grandparents while we take this trip, and I've never been away from him before."

"But he dresses in black like some outlaw, and he looks quite a bit older than you. We thought it strange that they let him on the stage."

"He's a fine gentleman. He just favors black. If you like, I can have him wear his white or red shirt. He looks good to me in any color."

Chuckling now, the other two ladies, mother and daughter, both agreed that he did look very handsome. "You are a lucky one, then, to have someone so handsome and strong. What does he do for a living?"

"He's a rancher. He and his family own a large ranch. He's delivering some contracts to San Francisco and will work out the last of the terms. We're also on a buying trip for things for our new house."

"Oh, you do have a busy life then with a baby, a new house, and a husband involved in a family business. No wonder you had to cry a bit. Now if you need to talk or such, you just know that we're ready to listen too. You don't have to be so quiet as you were today. Sometimes talking helps, and it sure does pass the time more quickly too letting you forget your troubles for a bit."

"Thank you for being so kind. I will do that."

With two bedrooms for travelers, the way station was nicer than most. The other family took the large bedroom, and Annie and Adam shared the second. Annie had to tease Adam about what the ladies had said. He recounted that he had gotten the start of a stern lecture from the men outside until he explained why there had been tears and sadness. The two of them chuckled over the impression they had made on the other passengers and the driver before nature took over and they began kissing. Kissing led to touching and undressing and a quiet lovemaking with the thin walls of the station and the apparently very observant others.

In the morning, the smell of coffee and bacon awoke everyone as the station manager intended. It was his job to keep the line running on time so he did what he could to motivate everyone to get moving. Within an hour, the passengers were on board and the stage pulled out on time and with good weather for traveling. By the time they got to Reno, all five of the passengers were well acquainted with each other. Adam and Annie bid the other family goodbye at the stage station and headed to the train station for the ride to California. The three family members watched them go and then walked to the telegraph office to send a message that the quarry was on his way.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Sweetheart, what would you like to do this evening?" Adam was reclining on his back against the pillows of the bed in a hotel suite in San Francisco with Annie resting with her head on his chest. He lazily combed his fingers through her hair. He loved the soft sensual feel of her hair when it was loose like this. He always asked her to let her hair down when they made love. Today she was wearing a gold and jade necklace that he had purchased for her. That was all she was wearing.

While in the city, they had found that a bath, some wine, and no work certainly had done wonders for their romance. They had made love softly and sensuously that morning as the light of dawn slipped into the room. Then after a leisurely breakfast, they had traveled to some warehouses where they had picked out pocket doors, tiles, furniture, stoves, lamps, and molds for plaster crown molding and ceiling medallions. Arriving at the hotel, they had been hot and hungry. After a bath and lunch, they had adjourned to the bed to enjoy each other's company. On the day they arrived, it had taken Adam about four hours to finalize the contracts for beef. Since then, they had made the rounds of shops and restaurants as well as two theater performances. They had this one last night in the city before traveling home.

"How about that restaurant you told me about that overlooks the city. We could have dinner there, and then take a nice long coach ride back here to see the city at night."

"I'll dress then and go make arrangements. You can rest here a bit longer but not too long because it's about an hour's ride to that restaurant."

"No, I'm fine. I'll get ready." With one last kiss, the couple slid from the bed to dress. Adam headed downstairs to talk to the concierge as Annie finished dressing and redoing her hair that was all messed up. She liked that Adam liked to run his fingers through her hair, but it certainly did make it a mess when she had to fix it up nice enough for a fine restaurant. She was putting combs into her hair when Adam returned. He had a funny look on his face so she had to ask him if anything was wrong.

Looking at Annie with the worry lines quite prominent in his forehead, Adam was clearly concerned about something. "I saw Maggie downstairs. She had a proposal to make."

"From your look, I would guess it has nothing to do with Hoss and a lot to do with something very serious."

"Yes, apparently she has been working on an investigation that was going on long before she got involved. Preston has brought the Ponderosa to the attention of some less than savory people."

"How did I know it would be Preston who would get us involved in something shady."

"No, he didn't do anything wrong, but apparently he has been bragging up the Ponderosa and the timber and bullion it holds which some here have decided apparently might be worth the effort to take it away from us. Maggie wants me to work with her on setting up a scheme to trap them into trying to do just that, and leaving paper evidence of their activities."

"Adam, I don't want you to do it. You are a husband and a father, and those responsibilities should come first."

"Annie, they do, but do you think dishonest people are going to leave us alone because I'm married and have a son. You and Andrew are at risk just because you're my family. We have often been a target of unscrupulous men who would rather take from others than work for something. Pa was kidnapped for ransom once. I was held as a hostage by the Paiute. We can't help that others see us as way to achieve their goals."

"But you don't have to get actively involved and put yourself directly in their sights."

"Sweetheart, we already are. Maggie said the 'family' we traveled with on the stage are working for the syndicate that is after the Ponderosa. They were apparently evaluating us, and looking for weaknesses."

"But they haven't done anything to us. What were they hoping to find?"

"Maggie doesn't know, but she said we can meet with some of the men in this investigation tomorrow morning before we leave if we need convincing."

"Well I am going to need a lot of convincing that you need to put yourself in jeopardy. We could head home and alert the whole family to the threat. We could protect ourselves."

"Better to know what you're facing than to have them come at us when we don't know who it is or what they will be doing."

"What about tonight?"

"A change of plans is in order. I don't want to take you to an out of the way restaurant under these circumstances especially when we don't know what's likely to happen."

"Do you really think we're in danger?"

"I don't know, but I have this gut feeling that there's plotting going on that involves us."

"Who are these people and what do they want?"

"Maggie is outside if you would like some answers."

Shooting darts at Adam, Annie walked to the door and opened it. Maggie was leaning against the wall outside their room. Annie motioned for her to come in, and Maggie looked sorry to have to do so. She could see how worried and upset Annie was by this news. Maggie felt badly that their vacation had to end on such a sour note, but she wasn't the one who had dragged them into it.

"First, let's be clear that I had no intention of involving any of your family in this investigation. However, they have taken an interest in you and your property and you can expect them to move against you soon."

Standing with her hands on her hips, Annie had one question. "Who are these people?"

"Silver, gold, timber, banking, and railroad moguls have banded together. They're buying up Senators and Representatives or threatening and blackmailing when they can't. They intend to control prices and interest rates so that they can use that to force farmers and ranchers into bankruptcy. They're developing meat packing and other food industries in California to handle the cattle and crops they will soon control. Their reach has only been across northern half of California so far especially along the rivers from Fresno up to Redding. Now they apparently have decided that western Nevada would be a good place to expand their operations. They already have gold and silver interests there as well as branch banks so adding timber and cattle operations would not be a stretch for their resources. The Ponderosa would be the heart of their acquisition, and they could use it to gobble up properties all around it."

Shocked, Annie had nothing to say. Adam asked if they would stop there.

"Not likely because they have interests in mining, banking, and ranching as far south as Arizona territory and as far east as Colorado. They intend to band together to control the whole west at this point so they can become fabulously wealthy, and there's little reason to think they can't do it."

"Why all the secrecy? Why don't you go after them directly if you know what they're doing?"

"Because it's an octopus already and has tentacles everywhere including the Army, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Treasury Department. They have ordered men killed, and would kill all three of us right now if they realized how much we know. We also don't know who the top people in the organization are. We know a number of then top people but not the ones at the top pulling the strings. Secrecy and violence are their standard mode of operation."

"So you've told us enough to ensnare us in your investigation. How does that make you any better than them? You put us in danger." Annie was very upset.

"No, you were already in danger. Your friend Preston is working with some of these people, but he is unaware of their true intentions. He has been talking about his stay at your wonderful Ponderosa, and suddenly these people decided that would be their next acquisition. We had an agent in Virginia City who was going to contact your family until he saw some of their people traveling with you. He sent messages to us, and trailed the stage all the way to Reno to make sure no harm came to you. Then he went back to Virginia City. He will coordinate operations there."

"So what do you want us to do?"

"For now, just a few things until we see how they are going to proceed. I want you to go to dinner tonight but at a nearby restaurant so we can keep you under surveillance for your own protection. You are going to be contacted by this organization tomorrow. React the way you would normally react when someone offers you a deal that is so bad, it could ruin you. Then head home. We want to see what they'll do next. When you're back on the ranch, three men will apply to work for you. Hire them. No matter what names they use, they will be X, Y, and Z. That's the code."

Leaning back in his chair, Adam was thoughtful. "They're going to offer us contracts with onerous provisions, and when we refuse, they will pressure us into accepting them. Once we fail at those contracts, they will have the Ponderosa."

"Yes, that about sums up what we think will happen. But by working with us, we'll have the evidence to show that coercion was used which will invalidate the contracts and their onerous provisions. You shouldn't lose anything."

"What about the three men you want me to hire?"

"One is already in Virginia City. He's the one who alerted us that they were moving much faster than we anticipated. Originally, I was going to make a short return trip to the Ponderosa to visit. While I was there, I was going to tell all of you what was going on. But as things progressed so rapidly and you were already here, it was my job to tell you what was going on. The three men are agents who worked with me undercover. They are very good and will do their best to protect your family."

"How will we know if you're successful in this plan you have?" Annie was skeptical and wanted assurances.

"That's the easiest answer. Nothing will change. Farmers will sell their crops and make their mortgage payments to the bank. Ranchers will drive their beef to market and accept the market price. Properties will be bought and sold at reasonable prices. Banks will give loans based on collateral with interest that is affordable. Criminals will be arrested, and some top businessmen will likely retire. Life will remain as it is, and I may retire from this business altogether."

"I think Hoss would like that very much." Adam smiled one of those little crooked smiles.

"After all this, he may not be all that interested in me any more."

"My big brother will understand. He's very intelligent. Now I suppose we ought to go if we're going to have dinner at a reasonable hour. We'll see you tomorrow morning?"

"Yes, I'll walk out with you, and we'll be laughing and talking. Be sure to remind me that I promised to visit the Ponderosa again, and I'll make some vague promise to do that soon. Then one of you can remind me that we are having breakfast together before you leave. Whoever they have watching you will likely have to stay with you and will hopefully not make anything out of this conversation. Coincidences do happen."

Dinner was delicious but Adam and Annie could have been eating plain bread for all the effect it had on them. Their minds were elsewhere even if they did hold hands and acted normally. Their minds were in turmoil, and Annie's gut feeling was that they shouldn't be cooperating in this investigation, but could give no concrete reason why she felt that way. They went back to the hotel but neither slept well.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Sitting in the bed in the morning, Annie and Adam were discussing the things they had learned from Maggie the night before. "Adam, will you at least consider the possibility of just going home?"

"Yes, if you can tell me how that helps." Adam had been thinking of little else since the night before. He realized that his wife and son were likely in some danger as were the other members of his family. Yet he could come up with no reason not to cooperate with Maggie in her plan. This syndicate had set its sights on the Ponderosa and going home and waiting for them to strike was not a very good alternative as far as he could determine. There was a knock on the door, and Adam grabbed his pistol and stood to the side of the door before asking whom it was. Maggie answered and said she had someone with her. Adam told Annie to get down behind the bed, and he opened the door and pushed it away so that the two could enter, but he had both covered. The man followed Maggie into the room and watched Annie stand up from behind the bed with a small pistol in her hand as well.

"You're alert and prepared. Maggie described you well. You're going to need all of that now that some amoral powerful people have locked you in their sights."

Holstering his pistol, Adam looked at Maggie. "And who the hell is this?"

"He's the man you're going to meet at breakfast in about an hour. He's the one who's going to make you the offer that you will want to reject, but he will threaten you with dire acts so that you will at least take the offer to your father."

"Then why is he meeting with me and Annie now?"

"Because I wanted you to hear his story. When you do, you will have a clearer idea of what you face now."

The man did not identify himself as he sat in a chair and gestured for Adam and Annie to sit too. Annie stood defensively with her arms crossed. The man began telling his tale. "I never went against this syndicate. I was married with a child on the way and thinking my life couldn't be better. I came home from work one day to find my house on fire. My wife was dead inside with just her feet sticking out the front door. I ran to her and pulled her out, and I wish I never had. The look that was frozen on her face of terror and agony will forever haunt me. Her father crossed this syndicate by going to the authorities over what they had asked him to do. He was a judge. They killed him and his wife that same day that they murdered my wife, Analisa, and the baby she was carrying. They all died because the syndicate wanted to make an example out of him. Anyone who opposes them will face those kinds of consequences."

"They didn't do anything to you?"

"No, I wasn't part of the family in their minds, I guess. So I went to the authorities and asked what I could do to find these murderers and bring them to justice. I have worked undercover ever since. I am part of the syndicate. I have broken almost all of the Ten Commandments, taken men's wives to bed to get information, married a woman and deserted her, and served some time in jail for crimes I've committed on their behalf. I did all of that to get on the inside to get information and evidence against the men who did this. We're almost there. With a little more time, we hope to uncover the heads of these snakes. Even if we don't, we will cripple the syndicate by arresting those we have. After all, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. We'll get as many as we can although I still hope we can get them all."

"You think my wife and my son are at risk, don't you?"

"I have reason to believe that's true. I wanted to warn you and tell you enough to know how serious the warning is. I will make an offer to you for timber and cattle. No matter how awful you think it is, you must agree to take it to your father. If you don't, they will want to do something to ensure that you do. If you want to get your wife home safely, please do as I ask. They have already set their plan into motion, and I can't stop it. They want the Ponderosa and will do anything to achieve that goal. All I can do is try to make sure you and your family stay safe."

"I'd say thank you, but it doesn't seem appropriate under the circumstances. Annie doesn't want to cooperate. What do you think will happen if we left now and headed home?"

"My best guess is that your wife would be threatened if not kidnapped. They have perfected kidnapping to a fine art. A number of times people who couldn't be blackmailed were coerced into cooperation by the threat or the actual act of kidnapping of a family member. They more often kidnap children than adults." That brought a gasp from Annie. "Children make very poor witnesses if they can identify the kidnappers at all. Adults who are kidnapped are not likely to be returned. I'm not sure if they kill them deliberately or if the grueling ordeal is too much for them, but most are found dead. By then, the people they coerced have committed illegal acts and are in thrall to them."

Annie dropped into a chair and buried her face in her hands. Adam moved to her side and wrapped an arm around her. She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "Oh, Adam, it's a nightmare, but I can't just wake up and make it go away."

"We'll do this together, and we'll have the rest of the family to help too. Let's get this first step over so we can go home. Then we'll have to tell everyone what's going on so we can be prepared."

Realizing it was time to let Adam and Annie talk it through, Maggie and the undercover man left. Adam sat silently by Annie's side until she was ready to talk. There wasn't much left to say. They dressed and packed before going down to breakfast in the hotel restaurant. As they were sitting over coffee, the man who had been in their room showed up dressed as a businessman and pulled out a chair to sit down.

"You don't mind if I join you, do you?"

"It might help if I knew who the hell you were."

"Oh, Mr. Cartwright, there's no need to be rude. I'm here on behalf of some businessmen like yourself, and I have a few offers here to do business with the Ponderosa." Pulling a sheaf of papers from an envelope, the man handed over the offers. Adam read them and got red in the face as he did so. He shoved the papers back into the man's hands.

"Those are jokes. We would lose so much money on those, we could just hand over our bank accounts with less trouble."

"You don't understand, Mr. Cartwright. You will take these offers to your father, and they will be accepted. If you don't, who can say what will happen to your beautiful wife or perhaps your son or your brothers. Perhaps even your father will meet with an 'accident' if you choose not to cooperate."

Standing so suddenly he overturned his chair, Adam grabbed the man by his collar. "Don't you dare threaten my family."

The maitre de rushed over to try to end the altercation. Adam waved him off and released the man. "You can leave now."

"I'm sorry, but you do not seem to understand. I will not leave unless you agree to take these papers back home. Perhaps you would like to travel there soon to visit with little Andrew? Perhaps to have a conversation with Michele or Hop Sing? You see we know all about your family and they are being watched. If you do not cooperate, there will be consequences. Do not go to the authorities or there will be a penalty to pay." Said with deadly quiet tones, Adam knew how serious the threat was. He begrudgingly accepted the papers. Anyone watching would not have had a clue that they had all acted their parts as planned. It looked real. In many ways, it was real, and now Adam and Annie had the onerous task of going home to tell the family the mess in which they were now ensnared.

After picking up the papers and shoving them into his pocket, Adam escorted Annie to their room where they collected their luggage. After traveling to the train station, they traveled home in the reverse order of how they had arrived. Once they reached Virginia City, they saw the Ponderosa carriage waiting for them. Adam carried the luggage there, and Annie found a note on the seat. Hoss would be back for them if they needed assistance, or they could simply take the carriage and drive out to the ranch. Adam made arrangements for the items they had purchased in San Francisco to be delivered to the ranch, and then the two drove home. It was a quiet journey. They hadn't talked much in the three days of travel for they were almost numb with worry. Once they were home, they could start making plans, but until then, they felt vulnerable and worried about the safety of Andrew and the rest of the family. Ben and Michele came outside to greet them and were surprised they didn't look happy at all. Adam had a dark look and his mouth was set in a grim line.

"Adam, what's wrong? Here we expected you two to be all excited and you look like you're going to the gallows."

After jumping down from the carriage, Adam helped Annie down. She had only one question. "Where's Andrew?" Then she rushed into the house to see him even though he was sleeping in his room. Ben and Michele looked to Adam for some answers.

"There's a lot we have to tell you. I would feel a lot safer talking about it in the house."

With those ominous words, Adam grabbed their luggage and headed inside with a puzzled and worried Ben following behind with Michele. Once inside, Adam handed the offers he had received to this father. Ben looked at them and then looked up at Adam.

"These are a joke, aren't they? These offers are ridiculous."

"That's the heart of the problem. They're real offers and we're going to have to accept them."

Ready to explode in anger, Ben calmed with Michele's touch on his arm and a simple suggestion. "Why don't we sit down and let Adam explain." So for the next hour, Adam explained everything that he had learned as Ben and Michele listened and were appalled.

"Son, there must be another way to take care of this."

"Pa, I've been thinking about this for the last three days. I can't think of anything else to do. Unless you can come up with something, we're stuck following Maggie's plan. We'll tell Joe and Hoss later to see what they think, but I think we're stuck with no other way out." Adam said nothing about the dangerous undercover man they had met and that they were going to be hiring three hands who would be working undercover. He thought he had seen someone lurking near the window in back. He was suspicious that the syndicate might have someone working on the ranch because of all the information they already had. The shadowy figure in the shadow of the tree in back confirmed to him that was probably true. He planned to speak out of earshot with his father and brothers about that. They couldn't let someone like that stay too close, but would have to tolerate his presence for the time being.

The mood in the house was very somber that night. Annie and Andrew were inseparable, and Adam spent as much time by their side as he could. In the bunkhouse, one man, Jim Dolan, was laying back in his bunk with a smile. The plan seemed to be working out just fine so far. His bosses were going to be very happy to learn that Adam had given the contracts to his father and urged him to accept them. Dolan had learned how much could be heard from the house by walking around the perimeter and leaning up against a tree in the back which was near an open window. He was surprised that the government investigator had encouraged them to participate, but then he thought that perhaps she just wanted to keep them safe, and this was the way to do that.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

On Tuesday, Ben signed the contracts, put them in an envelope, and asked Joe to take them to town to mail. Ben was appalled that he had to do it, but like Adam, he could think of no other way out of this attempt to take the Ponderosa away from them. They had enough witnesses that they had been coerced into agreeing to the contract terms and had to hope that would be enough. On the way to town, Joe met three riders. Based on the information from Adam, he knew that these had to be the undercover agents but gave nothing away because someone could be watching.

"We're not hiring on at the moment as far as I know, but you could go ahead and ask my Pa if you have the time to waste. Just keep riding down this road, and you'll come to the ranch. Pa was sitting on the porch when I left. Tall, gray haired man. He's the one you need to ask." Joe tipped his hat and continued on his errand. Unlike the others, he rather enjoyed this cloak and dagger stuff. Life was a lot more exciting to him with the mystery as long as he had the whole family there together to face the challenge. Hoss had been so angry at breakfast over the threats to his family that Ben had suggested he might want to tackle some wood chopping or forge work to pound out some of that energy. Adam had stood next to Hoss after breakfast with neither of them saying anything. Joe had walked up and put a hand on each of their shoulders.

"We'll do this. There isn't anyone out there who can hurt us when we stand together."

Adam had smiled a little smile and nodded although his fears were not so easily allayed, but he did appreciate the support of his youngest brother and his efforts to buoy their spirits.

Hoss was more direct. "Joe, it's just so hard when you don't know who the enemy is, and when they might come at ya. It's like when we're out hunting. If ya run across signs of a wolf pack, it isn't as scary as the tracks of just one lone cougar cause you know that pack will come at ya direct, but that cougar will lay in wait on a tree branch, in some brush, or up on some boulders jumping ya when ya least expect it. That's what this feels like. I'm worried about what's gonna happen next. I just think that they know more than we know, and that's a big problem."

"Hoss, we just have to be alert and ready for them. As long as Pa signed these contracts, there shouldn't be any trouble right away."

Leaning over Ben's desk, Adam spoke softly. The window over the desk was closed. "What about Dolan? Now that I described who I thought I saw outside, Hoss and Candy have confirmed that the description only fits him. He's a new hire so it all makes sense, but I don't like him being so close."

"Adam, I know how you feel. I've alerted Hop Sing to watch for him sneaking around the back. Candy is watching him too. For now, son, I think we have to tolerate him. I wish the men who were going to be here to help would arrive soon. Maybe one of them can give us some advice."

So as Joe rode to town with the contract offers signed and ready to be mailed, he knew his father would welcome the three men. All he had to come up with was a plausible reason to hire them when they weren't hiring. But Joe knew that sometimes his father would hire some men for a week or two to do some task simply because he couldn't bear to turn them away without a stake. He figured there would be three more men in the bunkhouse by that evening. As the three men entered the yard of the Ponderosa, Ben stood to greet them. He thought he probably knew why they were there but waited for the whispered code word. When they stated their business and dismounted, Ben walked up closely to them to explain they were not hiring. One whispered very quietly the x, y, and z code. Adam walked out at that point and asked what the three men wanted.

"Adam, they would like some work, but I told them we're not hiring."

"Maybe the ranch isn't, but I am." Dolan perked up at those unexpected words. He was listening from his position near the corral where he was supposedly fixing loose rails and was relieved with the next words though for it made sense. "I'm building a house and I need some men to do some heavy lifting and carrying as well as putting on the roof and the side walls. Are you familiar with a hammer, nails, and saws? In other words, do you have any carpentry experience?"

"Not too much, but we did help a rancher build a bunkhouse once, and of course we've had to do repairs on stables and such at ranches where we've worked."

"Good enough for me, Pa. They can do the rough work as well as anyone else I can hire." Looking directly at the men, Adam introduced himself and asked their names. When the introductions were done, he asked them to walk with him to the building site. Once out of earshot of the house, he explained about Dolan and asked what they should do.

"Dolan is a wanted man in California. If Maggie gets here, she would recognize him right off and arrest him. Then you could get him over to Carson City for extradition to California. They probably sent him because things are too hot for him in California right now. He got in trouble in Fresno killing some people. The syndicate doesn't have enough clout there yet and he's low on the totem pole so he's expendable. They sent him here to watch you, and they won't mind that much if he gets caught."

"Don't they need to have someone watching us?"

"They do. They'll be sending someone else, and we have a pretty good idea who it will be. It will be someone you know who's let them get their tentacles around him. He'll probably have mixed feelings about what he's doing. We'll see how it works out. Meanwhile, Maggie is on her way. You should be receiving a wire soon. I hope she's still welcome here?"

"She is. She isn't responsible for this mess, and hopefully she can help get us clear of it."

"I'm glad you think that way. Maggie means the world to us, and we would hate to see her get hurt. Now I suppose you ought to get us set so we can work tomorrow. We'll be bringing more firepower as soon as we can. This building location ought to be good to store it as soon as we can raise a few walls and get that roof on."

"We're going to need more firepower?"

"In a few weeks, when those contracts are due, you know you're going to court to challenge them. Maggie and a few others will be there to testify that you were coerced into accepting them. Throwing down that gauntlet will cause a major reaction. We don't know what it will be, but it will be something big. They cannot let anyone challenge them successfully or their whole scheme falls apart as others will challenge until they lose all the control they've built up. So yes, we may need more firepower. We don't know what they'll do."

"Should we send the women and my son away so they'll be safe?"

"If we knew of someplace where we could be sure they would be safe, yes, but unfortunately we don't know just how far their tentacles have already extended. For now, we need to work here where we know all of you can be protected. We have about three weeks to think of ways to protect you and your family. Any suggestions you have, we'll listen. Anything you can do to protect yourself is a good idea too."

"Well, first, getting Dolan out of here is a must. I'm not comfortable with one of them right in our midst. Let's go back and I'll show you where to bunk in and where you can put up your horses."

The three men walked with Adam asking questions about the house he was building and about the ranch so that when they walked past Dolan, it seemed like any three hands talking with the boss. Dolan relaxed. He was facing the rope in California so he needed to keep this job of informant and watchdog. He knew the syndicate would not accept another failure from him.

About lunchtime, Joe returned and he had news. He handed his father the telegram he had picked up in town. Ben read it and handed it to Hoss who smiled but looked worried too. Maggie had asked if she would be welcome to visit again. Adam had already informed Ben and Hoss that she would be back. Hoss had some mixed feelings that he had to sort through before he saw Maggie again. He loved her, but he didn't like her working in such a dangerous occupation. He had thought that once she was no longer undercover that she would be in a safer position but had found that was not true. He asked if he could be the one to meet Maggie in town. Ben smiled and agreed, but Adam saw the troubled eyes and asked Hoss later if he wanted to talk. The two brothers walked outside quietly and ambled over to the corral. Leaning against the fence, Adam said nothing letting Hoss think through what he wanted to say.

"Adam, I love her, but I can't stand what she does to make a living. I can't see a future for us with her doing that." Adam nodded and said nothing. "Well, ain't ya going to say nothing? Even one of your smart mouth comments?"

"Hoss, there's only one answer as far as I can determine." Looking hopeful, Hoss waited. "You'll have to marry her and get her to live here."

Shocked beyond measure, Hoss only stared for a moment. "It's like you can read my mind. It's kinda spooky. I was thinking just that, but I didn't know if it made sense to do it with a gal like Maggie."

"Why? Are you thinking she's too beautiful to live on a ranch or are you thinking she's too beautiful to marry you?"

"Mebbe both, at least a little."

"Maggie is a very intelligent woman and saw the true worth of you as a man right away, well as soon as you stopped trying so hard to impress her. She's happy when she's with you. That counts for a lot."

"So you think I should ask her?"

"That's your decision, but I would support you completely if you decided to go that way and help you in any way I could."

"Thanks, Adam. You're a really good older brother and an even better friend."

It would be two more days before Maggie was due to arrive. Other guests showed up unexpectedly. The next morning as they sipped their coffee, all of the Cartwrights were discussing what had happened. The sound of a carriage arriving was a surprise, and everyone walked to the door wondering what was going on. Annie and Michele didn't know who it was, but Adam groaned a little so they knew he wasn't happy to see the new arrivals. Ben walked out first to greet the group and a little girl jumped from the carriage and ran to throw her arms around Adam's legs.

"Good morning, nephew. And to what do we owe this surprise visit?"

"Uncle, I'm in trouble and I need your help." With that, Will tied off the reins and climbed down before helping Laura and Aunt Lil from the carriage. Ben smiled and escorted them into the house.

Looking at Adam's pained look, Annie had to ask. "So now we have the woman who cheated on you with your cousin, and your cousin too?" Adam nodded but Peggy was upset.

"My Mama does not cheat. Who are you anyway?"

Everyone inside heard Peggy's comment and knew this was not going to be a pleasant situation. Ben asked everyone to please be seated and asked Will to explain what had happened.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

For the next hour, Will had center stage though. "I was doing well in business until those typhoons last year sank one of the ships in which I had invested heavily. That led me to mortgage my shipping business to the hilt hoping that the profits on the other cargoes would make me solvent again, but the bank called my loan before the ships got back to port. It was all a giant set-up to get my business and me. They had me do just a few favors for them at first, and then they had me ship in some cargo that turned out to be stolen. I was going to be arrested, and I would have had no defense because all the pertinent documents were signed by me. It was another great set-up. They interceded on my behalf, and I was cleared. What I didn't know was that they used blackmail and coercion to get that done for me. I am complicit now in all sorts of crimes. I was still going to stand up to them except they threatened my family. I said I couldn't do what they asked, and then they said they had another job for me. I was to travel here to keep an eye on you and your family and report back to them. Uncle, they already have someone else here reporting back to them. They know you are working with a government investigator, and that doesn't seem to bother them at all."

"Will, what do you plan to do next?" Ben needed to know where they all stood.

"I'm not sure. Aunt Lil still has property in San Francisco, but I didn't want to leave her there because of what they might do to her when they find out I'm not following their orders. Somehow I need to find a place where Laura and Peggy and my son can be safe too. I agreed to come here because we're family, and we're all in this mess now."

"Will, tomorrow that government investigator gets here. We're hoping that she can help us deal with some of this."

"She? The investigator is a woman?" Laura was more shocked than Will. She had been used to being the only woman in a gathering of Cartwrights, and now there were two more with Michele and Annie with a third was on the way.

"Yes, her name is Margaret or Maggie, and we are very fond of her. In fact, one of us is very fond of her." Hoss blushed a little so that everyone who didn't know now knew who was sweet on Maggie. "She has been a great help to this family, and is coming here to help us again. It's going to be a bit crowded here with everyone, but we'll find a way to make everyone fit. Lil can have the downstairs room, but she'll have to share with Peggy. Will, you and Laura can have the guest room upstairs that used to be Adam's room and your son will have to stay there with you."

"I thought perhaps our son could share a room with Adam's son?" Laura was hoping to have a more agreeable stay without their son in the same room.

"No, that small room will have to be for Maggie. Andrew will move in with his parents when Maggie arrives. As I said, it is going to be a bit crowded with everyone here but we have room."

Besides being crowded, the tension in the house was palpable. Adam was not comfortable with Laura and Will being there. In addition, Peggy tried to reinstate her old relationship with Adam who felt that it was inappropriate for Peggy to treat him as her father when she now had a stepfather who should fill that role. Annie couldn't help a few hostile comments directed toward Laura, and Aunt Lil was trying to figure out a way to manipulate the situation to her niece's benefit. All of that added to the stress created by the situation that the syndicate's threats and actions had already caused. Hoss was relieved to escape to go pick up Maggie in town, and Joe rode with him because Ben said no one in the family should travel alone under the circumstances.

As Hoss rode to town, his mood lightened just at the thought of seeing Maggie regardless of the circumstances. Joe and he chatted about how uncomfortable the atmosphere in the house had become and how Maggie might help with that. Soon Joe was teasing Hoss about Maggie and asking him what his plans were in regard to Maggie.

"How come you're so sure I got plans with Maggie?"

"Hoss, every time someone mentions her name, you sit up straight, and if they say anything about you liking her, you blush. I know you must be thinking about something that could make you blush so spill it. What are you going to do?"

"I'm not sure exactly but I got some ideas."

"You're going to ask her to marry you, aren't you?"

"Now, Joe, how did you get that from what I said?"

"It's not just what you said. I saw you when you came back inside after you and Adam had that talk. You looked so sure of yourself then that I thought you probably had made that decision. What you said right then made me think that again."

"You and Adam gotta stop reading my mind. It's doggone spooky."

"All right, but no hints or nothing. I want to ask her in my own time and my own way. So you better be just like Adam and keep it all to yourself or I'm gonna pound you into a fence hole and string barbed wire round you and leave ya there till next spring."

Adopting a more serious mien, Joe pulled his horse to a halt which cause Hoss to stop the carriage too. "Hoss, I am really happy for you. I would never do anything to jeopardize that. You know you can always ask for my help if you need it, don't you?"

"Yeah, guess I do. Thanks, Joe. You and Adam are a lot alike."

"Don't go telling him that and getting him mad."

"Why would it get him mad? He already knows it."

The two brothers finished the ride into town and waited for the stage. When it arrived, Hoss lost all of his resolve to remain calm and in control. He helped Maggie step down from the stage and then leaned forward to kiss her on the cheek. Although surprised, Maggie did not object and smiled. Hoss leaned down and gently kissed her on the lips then. Joe leaned back on the bench where he was sitting and enjoyed the looks of townspeople who stared at what must have been the most beautiful woman they had ever seen kissing Hoss Cartwright right out in front of everyone. Joe knew the rumor mill would be busy for the rest of the day and probably the rest of the week. The ride back to the ranch was pleasant as the two brothers filled Maggie in on the recent developments and some family history so she could better understand the dynamics of all the people in the house.

When Maggie arrived, she was shocked though at the change in atmosphere in the home. When she had been there last, everything had been so relaxed. She had been informed by the undercover man in San Francisco that Will would be sent on this task but had not realized he would bring his entire family with him. Apparently the syndicate men thought he was cowed enough to do their bidding but had been very wrong in that. The other big shock for Maggie was seeing Dolan walk into the bunkhouse as she arrived.

"Do you know that you've hired a wanted man and one who works for the syndicate?"

"Yes, we know. We were hoping you would have a solution for that."

Adam was very direct and Maggie appreciated that. Sometimes people tended to try to make it appear that they had things under control when they did not. This honesty from the Cartwrights was so refreshing, but Maggie guessed that perhaps she had been spending too much time in the company of dishonest people and had lost the sense of the innate goodness of most. As things were explained to her, she was sitting on the settee with Hoss at her side. It made her feel comfortable and welcome.

"I should go arrest him right now. I have the authority to do that. Then I should take him to Carson City. This thing is too complex already to have another variable we can't control. Who wants to come with me as backup?" Hoss never said a word but stood up. Joe and Ben did as well even as Ben put a hand on Adam's.

"Stay with your family. We have enough to do this."

Nodding in response, Adam looked at Will who got the same but unspoken message from Ben. The two men had more lives to think about than just their own. Dolan had seen Maggie arrive and they found him hurriedly saddling his horse. He had taken the time to pack his meager possessions and that was all the time needed for him to be apprehended. Hoss led him back to the bunkhouse where he had the men tie his hands and feet and then lay him on his old bunk.

"I'll take him to Carson City tomorrow. Who can come with me?"

Again it was understood that Hoss would go. Joe volunteered but Ben nullified that. "Hoss and Maggie should have a chaperone. I'll go." That ended that discussion. Hoss shook his head though for apparently his father had drawn the same conclusion as Adam and Joe. He decided he better ask Maggie soon before everyone knew except her.

Dinner was served in shifts because not everyone could sit at the table at once, and Hop Sing would have trouble having food ready for twelve people at once for every meal. Adam and Will ate with their families first so that the children could go to bed early enough. With Annie busy feeding Andrew, there was less tension between her and Laura.

Ben sat with his sons and Maggie for the second serving and discussed their next steps. Maggie explained that they would leave Dolan in custody in Carson City and perhaps his dire circumstances might get him to talk. If the authorities didn't hang him, the syndicate would kill him assuming that he had turned on them. Knowing that, he might talk in order to get a lesser sentence. Even though giving a murderer a twenty-year sentence instead of an execution was odious, it could also mean that many less people would die or be ruined so the trade-off was likely to occur if Dolan was agreeable.

"Mr. Cartwright, the next step is to file a petition with the court to have those contracts invalidated due to coercive methods. That will alert the syndicate that we are ready to stand against them, but it also means that the heads of the snakes may have to show themselves by meeting together to decide what to do about your challenge. If that happens, arrests will be made, charges filed, and this whole thing can be left to the courts to finish."

"That's a very big what-if. What do we do if there is no meeting?"

"Then we still plan to move ahead with arrests. It will be disappointing to get the lower level operatives and not those who put this plan into motion, but we have too many people undercover now and at risk as well as your family and others. It's time to end this, and if we have to take just the bird in hand instead of the two in the bush, then that's what we'll do."

"That seems to me to be the more likely scenario."

"The way things have been going, Mr. Cartwright, it does to me too."

After dinner, Hoss asked Maggie to walk outside with him as the Adam and Joe grinned at Hoss causing him to shake his head. Annie slapped Adam on the arm to stop him, but Joe had no one to make him behave until Ben gave him a light slap on the back of the head.

"Hey, what was that for?"

"Just a reminder to mind your manners. Now find something to do and no spying on your brother."

Outside Hoss was unaware of Ben's admonition to Joe but would have been grateful if he had known. He walked with Maggie and took her hand. She gripped his in return.

"Maggie, I know this ain't the best time to bring this up, but there's something I just gotta say to you. I don't like the job you do and the danger you're in. Now I know you might not like hearing me say this, but I worry about you. I don't want nothing bad to happen to you."

Quietly and hoping she knew the answer, Maggie had only one question. "Why do you feel that way, Hoss?"

"Dadburnit, Maggie, cause I love you. There now I done said it so you know what kind of crazy fool I am, but I can't help how I feel."

Without saying a word, Maggie answered him. She pressed one hand softly to his cheek and wrapped the other around his neck pulling against him. Hoss didn't need much convincing. He leaned down to kiss her as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her tightly to him. The kiss deepened and lasted. When they finished, both were nearly breathless.

"Wow, now that is not what I expected, but dadburnit, you just made me the happiest man in these parts. I just never believed until this moment that somebody as beautiful as you could ever care for a man like me."

"Hoss, you intrigued me from the first time we met. Once you started acting like yourself instead of like a moon bear, then I found I liked everything about you. You make me feel like a woman and not an object. I like being with you. I like doing things with you."

"Maggie, when this is all over, would you like to do things with me all the time? I mean, would you like to live here?"

"Hoss, what are you asking?"

"Dadburnit, I wish I was smooth like Adam, but what I want to ask is will you marry me?" That question was answered with a kiss too, and then a whoop from an upstairs bedroom. "I'm gonna kill him. That little whippersnapper is gonna get it."

"Hoss, won't it be easier walking inside if everyone already knows?"

"Yeah, maybe you're right."

"So for now, you don't have to do anything to Little Joe, but it would be fun if you acted like you were going to. I wouldn't mind seeing him run." With a wicked glint in her eye, Maggie smiled at Hoss who suddenly knew how well she was going to fit into his family.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

When Hoss and Maggie entered the house, everyone was trying to hold back grins but a few were not very successful. Adam looked over the top of the book he was holding to greet Hoss and Maggie.

"So, how was your walk? Pretty nice out there tonight, isn't it? With all that moonlight, one could almost be expected to wax poetic."

"Dadburnit, I know you all know. I was thinking we could all have some champagne or wine or something to celebrate once I get done throwing Joe into the horse trough." Hoss turned to Maggie who was looking as upset as Hoss was because Joe had preempted their announcement. Hoss began to excuse himself so Joe used that moment to race toward the kitchen and safety outside. Hoss yelled after him that he was coming to get him but never moved from Maggie's side. Maggie grinned at Hoss.

"That was fun. Is he always that easy?"

The first to understand, Adam was the first to congratulate Hoss and give Maggie a bow. "Bravo, my lady, you are going to fit into the family quite well. I shall look forward to your next performance."

Soon there were congratulations all around and a lot of laughter at the prank they had played on Joe. Joe opened the front door at one point to see if it was safe to come back in and Hoss made to chase him. Joe ran once more. He was outside another half hour before he tried it again. By then, Hoss and Maggie were seated on the settee in front of the fireplace in quiet conversation with everyone. Joe ventured in nervously and said he was going up to bed. Everyone wished him goodnight and he went up the stairs relaxing now that Hoss wasn't chasing him and everyone was smiling. It would be weeks before anyone told him he'd been the victim of a prank.

Laura was on edge. She wasn't happy with Will and the trouble he had brought to her and their children as well as Aunt Lil, but she could hardly chastise him in front of Ben and the others without making herself seem like a shrill wife. So instead she baited Annie.

"Well, now that you and Adam have one son, Annie, when are you two planning to have more. I can't imagine Adam being satisfied with just one son. He always wanted the best of everything. I would think he would want to have more before you get too much older."

Will and Laura did not know how sensitive a subject that was. Adam did and suggested that it was time to head up to their bedroom. Annie went peacefully but Adam could see how upset she was. When they got to their room, he pulled her into a strong embrace. They had to whisper because Andrew was asleep in their room.

"I wanted to claw her eyes out. I could have easily smashed her in the mouth."

"Thank you for showing restraint. We have enough trouble around here already."

"What did you ever see in that woman? She is shrill, tiresome, boring, irritating, and generally so self-centered as to be useless."

"Well, what do you really think?" Adam tried to lighten the mood with humor but failed. So he tried sincerity and love. "But you're the one I married. You're the one I need. You're sweet, fascinating, capable, smart, and all those things I needed in a woman and didn't know until I found you. Or rather, you found me and saved my life. I love you, Annie, and never forget that. I love you more than life itself."

"Oh, don't say that. That's too extreme."

"But I mean it. I can't see how I could live without you."

"But you would have to because we have Andrew. We live in our son no matter what."

While they were talking, Adam had been unbuttoning the shirtfront dress Annie was wearing. The more he unbuttoned, the less angry she was and the more amorous. Soon she was unbuttoning Adam's shirt and they forgot all about Laura and her biting comments and reveled in giving and receiving pleasure. Adam kissed his way down her neck and along her shoulder as his hands held her and caressed her. Annie leaned into him allowing him to touch her as much as he wanted for she loved how those strong hands could be so gentle. They had a very invigorating time together although they had to be quieter than usual so they wouldn't wake their son and bring a sudden halt to the lovemaking.

In the morning when Adam walked downstairs with Andrew on his hip and with his arm around Annie's shoulders as her arm was wrapped around his waist, everyone else was already downstairs. Ben and his sons smiled to see the family so relaxed, but Laura had a sour look. She had never had Will walk her down the stairs like that. Of course if he had tried, she would likely have pulled away thinking he would demand more of her. When she saw Adam and Annie stop at the bottom of the stairs to kiss their son, she was even more dour.

Adam volunteered that he and Annie with Andrew would eat breakfast by the fireplace so that everyone else could sit at the table. Adam sat in the blue chair and Andrew stood between his legs with a hand on each knee. Adam leaned forward and alternately fed himself and his son. Annie sat with a plate of food watching her son and husband with undisguised love and pride. Soon almost everyone at the dining table was watching the scene by the fireplace and smiling. Hoss leaned over to his father.

"Dang it, Pa, those two should really have more children who would be so lucky to have those two as parents."

"I know, Hoss, but Andrew was quite a miracle. It's probably too much to expect that there will be any more."

Picking up on that conversation, Laura had her first ammunition to use against Annie and realized why Adam had suddenly decided that it was time for bed the previous evening. Her intent to needle Adam had struck at Annie instead. Well as far as Laura was concerned, that was fair. She was an unhappy woman, and found it very difficult to see others happy. She had to live with Will and Peggy who seemed happy most of the time, and loved Johnny. Even Johnny's happy disposition was sometimes irritating to his mother. Even her Aunt Lil seemed happier than she was and often counseled Laura to be appreciative of what she had instead of still desiring what she didn't have. But Laura was determined to be unhappy and dissatisfied with her life. She would wait for her opportunity to make sure others felt that too. This latest mess in her life she blamed on all of the Cartwrights, and she thought that they deserved to have to pay for what they had done.

After breakfast, Hoss got four horses ready for the trek to Carson City. Hop Sing packed food for them, and Ben and Maggie got Dolan from the bunkhouse. Maggie had handcuffs with her so the ropes were removed and Dolan was cuffed with a rope running from the cuffs to the saddle horn. Hoss would lead his horse so he couldn't bolt on them. They planned to be gone until the next day.

"Adam, remember to file that petition with the judge. And don't travel alone. We don't need them taking a hostage, and Maggie thinks they may try to do that before this is all finished."

"Pa, I know, and we'll make sure to keep guards on the perimeter especially at night. The three new men we hired are good at that."

The last statement made Dolan sneer. He had heard them refer to Maggie the night before, and that familiarity let him know they were undercover agents, but he also knew one of them better than the others. He didn't know if it would do him any good, but he was getting desperate. Once Dolan was delivered to the authorities in Carson City, investigators went in to lay out his options for him. As expected, he turned on the syndicate. The deal was that he would serve his time in a state prison outside of California and Nevada, and he began spilling names. Maggie sat in on the questioning hoping to find more clues to follow in the effort the syndicate was making to acquire the Ponderosa. The next morning, as Dolan began to tell even more secrets in exchange for an even lighter sentence, she was shocked to find that one of the men Adam had been told to hire was a double agent. He was working for the syndicate. Once she heard that, she rushed from the jail to send some wires and then to contact Hoss and Ben for they needed to get back as soon as possible.

That same morning, Adam was in town filing a petition with the judge to invalidate the onerous contracts due to coercion used to get them to sign. The judge seemed agreeable and offered to hold the hearing that afternoon. Adam and Joe went to get some lunch, and then headed to the courtroom at one to get what they hoped would throw those contracts out. Instead, the judge was very short with them and told them they would have to honor the contracts. He said they had signed them in good faith, and that it would be a travesty of law to set aside perfectly agreeable contracts just because someone changed their mind. Adam was incensed.

"What happened to the reasonableness of terms that you referred to this morning, and the stench of corruption surrounding such odious terms. You have completely ignored the coercion that was used. Threats to life certainly ought to be enough by itself to get you to throw these contracts out."

"Threats to life happen out here all the time, and men make their decisions and live with them all the time. Every one of us faces such choices. You made your choice, and now you have to live with it, just as I and my family have to live with this one."

As Adam was ready to say more, he halted. Something in the judge's words gave him pause. He looked at the judge and then at Joe who was staring at him wondering what he was going to say. "It's no use. He's just an ignorant circuit court judge. We need to take this to a higher court. C'mon Joe, let's go."

Following Adam from the courtroom leaving the judge and bailiff alone, Joe grabbed his arm halting him and had to ask what that was all about.

"Joe, did you see his expression and the way he kept glancing at the 'bailiff'? I've never seen that man before either. And do you recall what his last words were as he said he and his family would have to live with this one? Joe, we need to get over to see Roy. The judge and his family are in danger."

"Adam, you got all that from those couple of sentences he gave us? You sure it isn't just your suspicious mind at work?"

"Maybe, but first let's make sure the judge and his family are safe."

They headed to Roy's office and found both Roy and Clem there discussing hiring more deputies. Adam filled them in on everything that had happened with the judge that day especially his rapid reversal of opinion, and then the man acting as bailiff that neither Adam nor Joe recognized.

"Now, you boys sometimes get a mite suspicious, but I have to agree with ya on this one. Judge Henry is a reasonable man and would never talk that way to someone in his court filing a reasonable petition. As far as I know, his bailiff Darcy is in fine health and I saw him just the other day in town. Ain't no reason for another bailiff to be there."

Roy instructed Clem to find some men and deputize them to go to the Henry home and see if the family was all right while Roy went with one deputy to see about the judge. Adam and Joe offered to accompany Clem on his task. Adam had one more thought before they left.

"Roy, if they were able to act so quickly, they have more men in town than we thought. They're getting ready to take over so be real careful who you hire."

Assuring Adam that he was always careful in his hiring, Roy was determined that this time he wouldn't hire anyone he didn't know and told Clem to do the same. Clem hired a couple of out-of-work miners as he walked with Adam and Joe to the Henry house high up on the hill. Joe and Adam volunteered to swing around and come in from behind the house asking Clem to slow up a little to give them time to get into position.

Once behind the house, Adam and Joe could see into the kitchen of the house. Mrs. Henry and her daughter were tied there. There looked to be a body on the floor, and both assumed that was probably her son. It was no longer a mystery why the judge had acted as he did. What he apparently didn't know was that hostages never survived a kidnapping by the syndicate unless they were small children. Anyone else was killed to eliminate witnesses to some of their more brutal tactics. Slowly Adam and Joe worked their way down the hill into the backyard of the Henry house and then to the back wall of the house. Adam held up three fingers to Joe. Then he counted down one, two, three so the two of them would rush into the house at the same time. No one else was in the kitchen, but they heard a commotion in the front parlor. Soon they heard Clem's voice calling for any more men to come on out. Adam yelled back that there were no more that he could see. Quickly, Joe untied Mrs. Henry and her daughter, as Adam checked for signs of life from the son. He found a heartbeat and told Clem someone needed to get the doctor there quickly.

In the courthouse, Roy asked to speak with the judge and as the fake bailiff turned to lead him to the judge's chambers, Roy stuck his pistol in the man's back.

"Now jest raise your hands all careful like and my deputy here will relieve you of your sidearm."

The judge rushed out into the hallway when he heard the commotion. Seeing a deputy put handcuffs on the man who had been guarding him since the morning, Judge Henry was devastated. "They said they would kill my family if I said anything."

"Don't you worry too much there, Judge Henry, cause I sent Clem and some men to your house to see to your family. Adam and Joe Cartwright went with em."

"I felt so badly saying what I said to them, but I was hoping that one or both of them could read between the lines. Thank you, and can we go see if my family is safe?"

When Roy and Judge Henry got to the Henry house, Doctor Martin was working on the young Henry boy. He had a through and through but had lost a lot of blood lying on the floor. After a short time, Paul came out to say that barring any unforeseen complications, the boy should live but would have a long recuperation. Judge Henry told Adam and Joe to file for a new court date but before anything more could be done, the runner for the telegraph office showed up with a wire for Adam. Adam read it and told Joe the contents. They ran from the home down the hill to their horses and raced home. Roy picked up the discarded telegram and read it. He told Clem that they probably needed to get some men together to go out to the Ponderosa as soon as possible.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

As Adam and Joe raced into the yard at home, they saw two bodies laying off to the side of the bunkhouse. There was still blood flowing from each so they knew whatever had happened had been only minutes ago. Both drew their pistols and edged toward the house. The front door opened, and a masked man stood there with a gun to Annie's head.

"C'mon in, gentlemen. We were just about to tell everyone the terms of a new agreement." He used to head to indicate they should come with him and then backed up without releasing Annie. Once Adam and Joe were inside, they saw that Will was being tied to a chair as was Laura. Michele wasn't around nor was Hop Sing which made them worry. They were told to drop their pistols and had little choice in the matter. The masked men held the advantage. Crying silently, Peggy ran to Adam and threw her arms around his waist. Another masked man walked down the stairs holding Andrew and Johnny.

"Which one we supposed to take? They said to get Adam Cartwright's kid but there's three kids here."

"That girl is my daughter and the older boy is my son." Laura rescued her children with no regard for anyone else. Annie would have liked to really scratch her eyes out as well as punch her in the mouth then, but all she could do was gasp as the masked man set Johnny down to concentrate on Andrew. Any effort to buy time was gone now. Both Adam and Joe knew that Roy was likely on his way, but it looked like the men would be gone with Andrew before he got there.

"I'll go. I won't cause you any trouble either. Just let my son be. If he's safe, I'll do whatever you say." Adam hoped to bargain but also buy some precious minutes back now that Laura had taken the other opportunity away. The man who held Annie looked at him and thought about what he had said. He would feel better with an adult hostage too rather than taking such a small boy. He knew from being here for a few weeks that the family would be just as cooperative with Adam as a hostage as they would with the little boy.

"You know what it means, don't you?"

"Yes, I know. But my family is more important to me."

"All right, you've made your choice. Tie everybody else up, and let's get out of here."

Within minutes, Annie, Laura, Aunt Lil, and Joe were also tied. Annie was in conflict because her son had been saved but her husband was being taken. She could think of nothing she or anyone could do to stop that. Adam said 'Je t'aime' before he left the house with his hands tied behind his back and a rope leader tied around his neck. For ten minutes, the only sounds in the room were the quiet sobs of Peggy and the more boisterous crying of the two boys who didn't understand why no one was coming to take care of them, and then Roy arrived with a posse. They found Michele tied up behind the house in the garden, and Hop Sing was tied in the kitchen. Everyone else in the great room was freed. Joe wanted to rush out after the men who had taken Adam.

"Joe, I know you want to do that, but if we get too close, they'll kill him. They won't think twice about it. They know you're gonna fight em now so it'll be no holds barred." Roy was trying to think of a long-term strategy but was out of his element facing this syndicate.

Holding and soothing Andrew, Annie had a question. "What did they mean when they asked Adam if he knew what his going with them meant?"

No one wanted to answer that, but Joe had heard enough from Maggie and Adam to know. He felt he had to be honest with Annie. "They've never let a hostage live once their purpose was served. The only way Adam lives is if we find a way to rescue him. He knew that when he volunteered to go."

There was more commotion in the yard. Ben, Hoss, and Maggie had returned. They rushed in with guns drawn after having seen the bodies outside. Roy and Joe turned toward them and assured them all was well at the house. Joe had his arm around Annie trying to offer what comfort he could. Will was standing next to Laura but not touching her. The look on his face said a lot though as he was very disappointed in her. She hissed at him.

"You could at least show some compassion for me and our children after what's happened."

"I do have compassion for them but not for you. You were unbelievably selfish. If Adam dies, it's on your head." He walked over to talk with the others to see what they could do.

Aunt Lil came over to Laura and the children wrapping her arms around Peggy. "Aunt Lil, can you believe what Will just said to me?"

"It needed to be said. You put yourself and what you wanted ahead of everyone. I think that Adam and Joe knew that the sheriff was coming behind them. They would have tried to buy some time, but you took that away from them. I'm ashamed of you. Finally you show some gumption again, and once more, it's for all the wrong reasons. It's time you grew up and acted like a woman, a wife, and a mother. I have to take some blame for you being such a spoiled selfish woman, but it's time for you to step up. You are not a child any more even if you persist in acting like one."

"But I've had so much to deal with."

Annie had listened and had heard enough. "Everyone in this room has had to deal with a lot. You have been protected and helped through everything. It's about time you paid some of that back or you're not welcome here any more."

Looking at Ben, Laura was going to try to use tears once more. "Uncle Ben?"

"From what I've heard, Adam's life is at risk mainly because of you. If anything happens to him, you better be far away from here before I get back. Will and the children are welcome to stay as is your Aunt Lil, but you need to pack." Those words let everyone know that Ben knew too the grave danger his son was in. He would not be in a forgiving mood until he knew Adam was safe.

Hoss and Joe decided to track the group with Adam. "We'll try to get as close as we can without being seen. If anything happens, one of us can come back and let you know. We need to know where he is at least."

"All right, son, but don't let them see you. If they do, you know what might happen."

"I know, Pa, I know. Joe and me will be real careful. We don't want nothing to happen to Adam. You know that."

Roy said the posse would travel well behind the two brothers to be available if needed. Some of the hands joined the posse so there would be no contest if it turned into a gunfight. They liked Adam and the whole Cartwright clan. They would do what they could to help. Hoss and Roy set up some mirror signals, and then Hoss and Joe headed out. Will and Ben stayed with the rest of the family.

"Uncle, did you mean what you said about Laura?"

"I did. I wouldn't turn her away if she was in danger, but otherwise it would be best if she was never here again. She has caused enough grief for Adam. It's time to close that chapter entirely, and banning her is the only way I can see to do that."

"That, and I may kill her myself." Annie stalked out of the house with Andrew on her hip. She felt deeply helpless and profoundly scared and didn't like either feeling. Ben watched her go.

"She means it, too. She loves fiercely, and she would do anything for Adam."

"She's a good match for him. Now we have to hope that they can get him back safely."

Maggie walked up at that point and said they should talk about a strategy. Her idea was daring and could fail, but it was the best they had. She got a horse from the stable and rode out with Will as her escort. They could only hope the authorities in Carson City agreed with them. Alerting some hands to protect the house and its inhabitants, Ben rode to Virginia City to try to work the other part of Maggie's plan.

On the trail, Adam was doing what he could to slow his captors. He swayed in the saddle and when they got to a particularly steep stretch, he fell off his horse. They grumbled a lot but he reminded them that he had no way to hang on with his hands tied behind his back. Of course he could easily have leaned forward and gripped with his knees but wasn't volunteering that information. He fell off again when they led his horse too close to some brush and a branch snagged his arm pulling him from the saddle. That wasn't his fault, but they had tired of him falling so they threw him over his saddle like a sack of grain and tied him down like a pack. It was intensely uncomfortable riding that way and he lost his hat as well.

When they finally reached their destination which turned out to be one of the Ponderosa line shacks, they tied Adam in the stable after giving him a beating out of their frustration. All Adam could hope was that Hoss would be able to track them here, but he knew this line shack, and it was impossible to approach it from any direction except above without being seen a long way away. The men took turns guarding him in the stable. He asked for water and food but was given nothing. One of the men laughed when he asked.

"What do you want water and food for? You ain't going nowhere. We find it easier to take care of people when we don't feed em and don't give em water."

In a perverse way, it all made sense to Adam. Without food and water, he would get weaker fast. Without a blanket out in the stable, he would be cold and uncomfortable and unlikely to sleep decently. They also wouldn't have to worry about untying him to do his business because he wouldn't have to do anything. If he hadn't been sure of it before, he was sure now that they never meant for him to live beyond the court hearing over the contracts. Once those were upheld, the Ponderosa was theirs and there would be no need to keep him alive. He closed his eyes and pictured each member of his family at a time saying goodbye in his mind.

Almost a mile away, Joe and Hoss made a cold camp in the treeline watching the line shack up above. There wasn't much movement there but enough that they could see that it was occupied. It had to be where the group was, but they couldn't advance any closer to find out without being seen. They talked as they watched and knew the only way to approach that shack was from the ridgeline that was about one hundred feet above. It was unlikely anyone of them could make that descent.

"Joe, the only one who could probably do it is Adam after all that climbing through the hills he did with those Paiute when he was younger. We never did that kind of thing and that's a right tall cliff to climb down."

"Hoss, that's it! That's the solution."

"What? Adam's a hostage so he can't do it."

"No, the Paiute. There's a lot of em that like Adam. He brought them cattle when the winter was so hard this year. He's done everything he can over the years to try to help out."

"Joe, we'd need em here real soon. Can you ride well enough in the dark?"

"I can backtrack and then head north. The last I heard Adam say something was that they were up on that plateau that we never use because the cattle are so hard to herd up through those cuts and then back down again. He said there was a camp up there. If I ride through the night, we could be back here by this time tomorrow or rather up there by then. We'll use mirror signs. I'll tell Roy what we're doing and see if he can find a way to buy us some time. Wish me luck."

"I'll be doing more than that. I'm figuring on praying for a good part of tonight that your idea works. Joe, if we can, we need to get some of those men alive."

"There's only one I want to be sure we get out of there alive."

Nodding in agreement, Hoss watched Joe slip away in the darkness and then he concentrated on the shack up on the hillside above the tree line. About two hours later, Hoss heard someone coming up behind him. He went on alert until he heard his name called and he called out softly in reply. Candy was by his side a short time later.

"Brought some food and water. Roy's holding the posse out of sight but close enough that they can be here fast if we need em. Figured we could take turns sleeping."

The two men settled in for a long night as Joe rode as far as he could before he and Cochise needed some rest. The posse bedded down in a cold camp waiting to be summoned. Tied to a post in the lean-to stable, Adam shivered in the frigid, damp air and slept fitfully. He was cold, tired, sore, hungry, and thirsty but still alive. If the court case was decided the next day, he knew that was his death warrant. He hoped they had found a way to delay that.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Early the next morning, Judge Henry convened his court. He was all set to rule on the contracts Ben Cartwright had been forced to sign, but Ben stood up saying he wanted to withdraw his petition. Judge Henry looked pale and was sweating though. He told the bailiff to get him a glass of water. He drank it and said he was ready to rule on Ben's motion, but then suddenly began retching. The bailiff grabbed a waste basket and just in time as the judge threw up his breakfast and the glass of water he had just had. Doctor Martin was summoned and told some men that they needed to get the judge over to his office immediately. Soon there was a quarantine sign on the doctor's office. He came out and stood on his porch saying that Judge Henry had the flu, and would someone please go check on his family.

In the crowd outside the office, Ben could be heard complaining that they were going to need to get a another judge in here because he needed that motion to withdraw his petition approved as soon as possible. Most in the crowd didn't know what he was talking about, but two men left and one was soon riding out of town as the other was at the telegraph office sending a message about the latest development.

At the line shack when the man from town got there, there was consternation. The men walked back to the stable where Adam was tied.

"What kind of game are you people playing?" One of the men kicked Adam in the leg to get his attention.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." In this situation, Adam actually could tell the truth.

"The judge was supposed to rule in our favor this morning, but suddenly he's sick. Your old man was there spouting off about how he wanted that ruling right away, but now we gotta wait. It's a trick, isn't it?"

"I don't know. I've been tied up here and certainly couldn't have been in on planning any trick. Did it look like the judge was really sick?"

"I'm asking the questions here."

Motioning to two of the men to come forward, the man gave instructions. Adam was pulled to his feet after he was untied from the post. His hands were left tied behind him. He had little feeling in his hands and worried that he might not be able to use them if they were untied. He did make an offer though.

"I could write a note to my father telling him I'm still alive and to please do what you say."

"No, I don't trust you at all. No, we're going to find out what you know right now."

One of the men hit Adam in the back with a vicious blow. He dropped to his knees but was hauled upright again. "Now, what kind of trick is your father pulling?"

Gasping with the pain, Adam paused before answering because he had a very good idea what his answer would cause. He was correct and was down on his knees again. Hauled to his feet once more, he took a pummeling from two of the men. Unable to block any blow or even prepare for them, he was soon down on his knees again.

"Now tell me what your old man is doing."

Through rapidly swelling lips that were bleeding, Adam shook his head negatively in that he didn't know. They thought he was refusing to talk, and the beating continued until he lost consciousness. When he awoke later, he was still lying in the dirt of the stable. They had not tied him to the post believing that he wasn't going anywhere in his condition. He did his best to look around with the one eye he could open and saw that they didn't even have a guard on him any more. He tried to roll over to sit up and realized why they were so sure of themselves as the pain caused him to black out once more. By the time he awoke again, it was getting dark. He tried to remember where he was and couldn't. The lack of food and water with exposure and then the vicious beating had completely disoriented him. He saw some people moving toward him in the dusk and cringed. He didn't think he could survive another beating. They left him alone though and watered the horses and gave them fresh grass. Adam's mouth was so dry his tongue was stuck to the roof of his mouth. Once the men left, he began to laboriously crawl the ten feet or so to the buckets of water set out for the horses. He pushed himself along using his feet and had to stop after every few inches of progress to let the pains diminish a bit before he pushed himself a little further. He almost laughed at one point thinking it would be morning before he got to the water and by then they would be outside again and deny it to him. He kept pushing though. He had to do something to try to stay alive and choosing to lie still in the cold would probably be his last decision. As he worked to get to the water, it helped his mind to clear a little, and the effort of moving was keeping him warmer or he was developing a fever. He decided it might be both.

The next morning, Hoss was surprised to see Dolan ride by their concealed location. He thought he would not be getting out of jail for many years. A short time later, Maggie and his father joined them. Hoss had to ask.

"What's going on, Pa?"

"Dolan gets an even shorter sentence. He's going to tell them he escaped and wants to help so that they'll help him get away. Meanwhile he'll tell them that he saw one of their other men in town and that the court hearing will be in two days as the judge is recovering. He'll also be the one man up there who has a vested interest in keeping Adam alive. Any word on Joe's plan?"

"Saw some mirror signals early this morning. I think they've got some people working their way down the cliff. Every now and then, we think we see some movement up there, but without a spyglass, it's too hard to tell."

Maggie pulled out a small telescope at that point and set it on a small tripod. Sighting in on the cliffs, she smiled. "There are at least three men climbing down. I doubt they can be seen from the cabin there. If they look straight up, the slight angle will be cover enough. As long as they don't make something tumble down the slope, they should be able to get down without being seen."

"Can you sight in on the cabin and see if you can spot Adam at any point?" Ben was very worried, and knew that Annie must be sick with worry by this point.

"There's no movement at all. They seem to be inside the shack yet. Take a look for yourself. You must have some experience with one of these."

Ben sighted in on the cabin and drew the same conclusions as Maggie. Now they had to wait to see what the Paiute might accomplish.

"Now what to we do?" Ben looked to Hoss to be filled in on the rest of the plan.

"Joe will signal when the Paiute get down to the cabin. Whenever he tells us, we gotta be ready to ride."

"Hoss, I think we should send someone back to alert Roy. Those Paiute are nearly at the bottom now. Soon we'll lose sight of them as they move toward the cabin."

Candy volunteered. He said he would alert Roy and then make sure their horses were ready to go at a moment's notice. From the top of the cliff, Joe watched the Paiute descend and then move into the brush. He spotted them a few more times as they approached the cabin. Then inexplicably they went into the ramshackle little stable instead of advancing on the cabin and its occupants. Soon he saw why. Two of them came out of the stable carrying a black clad figure. Joe couldn't tell if he was alive or dead, but he could tell he wasn't moving. One of the Paiute stayed behind to cover the rescue, and then moved quickly into the brush with the others. Once they were well away from the cabin, they signaled to Joe to alert the others to approach the cabin. Joe pulled his mirror up and sent the signal to the others concealed in the treeline.

Inside the cabin, the syndicate hirelings suddenly realized they were facing an attack with a rush of men on horseback headed their way. Several ran to the stable to grab the hostage and were shocked to find him gone. Heading back to the others, they were told to go find him. They ran to the brush behind the stable thinking it was the only place he could be and were soon on the ground with wounds from arrows. The men in the cabin opened fire on the riders hoping to slow them down or stop them, but there were too many. They fled out the back of the cabin only to have rifle shots from the ridge hit the dirt in front of them and saw two of their men lying dead with arrows protruding. They knew they were beaten as horsemen raced around the sides of the cabin to confront them. They asked the men not too politely where Adam was, and when they said they didn't know, they were soon on the ground from blows from Hoss.

"Now I want to know where he is and you better tell me. Ifn he's hurt or dead, you're gonna wish you was."

Numaga led the Paiute from the brush and told Hoss and Ben that they had Adam. Father and brother rushed to see him. He was bloodied and bruised, but when he saw his father and brother, he was able to smile. The Paiute had been giving him water and that was reviving him although the pain of his injuries was going to prevent him from walking or doing much of anything else for a long time. Ben noted that his hands were so swollen that he could not hold the skin of water. The Paiute passed it to Ben as he knelt at Adam's side. He gave him water, and wet his handkerchief to wipe some of the dried blood from his face.

"Hoss, he isn't going to be able to travel. Would you go back to the ranch for a wagon? And I'm sure Annie would like to come along too. You know what to bring with you."

Soon Roy was back with a blanket from the cabin. Between the two of them, they eased Adam onto the blanket. Then with the help of Candy and some of the other men, they carried Adam to the cabin. As they got there, Hoss was hitting one of the prisoners and knocked him to the ground. Then he stepped to the next one and slammed a fist into his face as well. Roy yelled out to ask Hoss what he was doing.

"Roy, these men are resisting arrest. I'm just making sure they don't get away."

"Well, as long as you got a good reason. Just one punch each, though, ought to do it."

"I'd like to do more, Roy, but I can live with that." The third man fell to the ground when Hoss pulled his arm back. "On the other hand, seeing em hang ought to be enough I guess." Hoss grabbed Chubb and headed back to the ranch then as the prisoners were rounded up and taken back to town by Roy and his posse. Maggie went with them.

Inside the cabin, Ben and Candy worked to strip the filthy clothing from Adam. Then they set about bathing him and bandaging the wounds that needed it as well as strapping his ribs which made it a lot easier for him to breathe. Adam was still very thirsty so every ten minutes or so, they gave him more water. With his lips so swollen and his jaw so sore, he needed some soft food and they didn't have any. They assumed Hop Sing would send some along with Hoss and Annie. It would only be a few more hours.

After about an hour, Joe arrived and was shocked at Adam's appearance but very glad that he was alive. He had left the top of the ridge as soon as he had sent the signal and worried all the way there. He had greeted the Paiute thanking them and sending them with a couple of the hands to get the fifty cattle he had promised them. Then he had come inside to see his brother. "You look a little worse for wear there, older brother. Annie might be too scared to take you home with her."

Adam smiled a tiny smile because it was all he was capable of doing. Then he mumbled something, and Joe had to ask what he said so Ben translated. "He said thank you."

"You're welcome. I want you to know I was on top of that ridge behind the cabin. There aren't many people I would do that for."

But Adam didn't hear that part for he had fallen asleep. Warm and feeling safe, he had given in to the exhaustion. Ben pulled a chair up next to the bed to sit with him. Joe and Candy began looking for what they needed to cook up some hot food. Within a short time, they had a small pot of coffee brewing, a pot of beans soaking, and had some hot water ready for tea or whatever else Hop Sing might send. Then all they could do was wait.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

In town, Judge Henry had recovered from the emetic that Doctor Martin had given him. He was feeling a little queasy yet, but had some work to do. He went to his courtroom and with his bailiff's help and with Roy and Paul in attendance, he invalidated the contracts Ben had been forced to sign. Maggie sent telegrams out to a number of cities and arrests commenced in all of those locations simultaneously. By the end of the day, there would be well over one hundred people from the syndicate in custody, but not the top leaders. There would be pressure applied to those they had arrested to see if they could get those names. For the time being, they had to be satisfied to have the bird in the hand. The syndicate was broken and would not be able to be fixed. It would have to be enough.

After putting in a print order for wanted posters on Dolan who had slipped away during the confusion, Roy asked Maggie what to do about the two men who had been killed. He had been told by Ben that they were undercover agents who had been killed by the third who was a double agent. Maggie said she would know by the end of the day because she had sent that information in a wire as well. The two men did not have any immediate family so Maggie told Roy they would probably be buried in Virginia City. Then she went to get some lunch and wait for answers to her messages.

Driving up the hills to the line shack, Hoss was encouraged by Annie to go faster. "Sis, ifn you want this wagon to be in one piece so we can bring Adam home, then we cain't go no faster than this. Now he's gonna be fine. He does look worse than he is, but that's what happens when people hit ya in the face."

"How bad does he look?"

"Reckon the two black eyes and a swollen lip are the worst of it. He didn't get no food or water either, and they left him outside in the stable overnight. Pa was gonna clean him up, bandage what needed it, and then get him into a warm bed to rest. He was giving him all the water he wanted too." Hoss didn't say that there was some likely kidney damage, and that Adam was barely able to stay conscious. Annie would learn the rest soon enough. He just wanted her to be ready for how Adam looked. Adam had been through worse and come out of it all right. Hoss had to assume that would be true again. Hop Sing was in the back of the wagon and had brought a lot of his special drinks, salve, and food along in a basket. There was a real possibility that Adam wouldn't be moved until the next day, so they had brought another very large basket filled with food and other items.

"Was the doctor there for him?"

"Nope, he was in town tending to Judge Henry. He made him sick so he would have a good excuse to delay the hearing and give us more time. He's probably on his way right now. Might beat us there, but maybe not."

Doctor Martin did not beat them there. Annie and Hoss arrived first. Annie almost leaped from the wagon to run up the hill when they cleared the tree line and Hoss had to slow the team to avoid damaging the wheels on rocks. "Sissy, we're almost there. A couple more minutes ain't gonna make any bit of difference to Adam but could make a lot of difference to this team and this wagon. Just hang on. We'll be there in less than ten minutes."

"Oh, Hoss, my heart hurts so much. I just need to see him to know everything will really be all right."

Wishing he could wrap an arm around Annie to soothe here, Hoss had to be content to offer his reassurance and keep the team moving up the hill. As soon as he began to slow the team near the line shack, Annie did jump out and run to it. Ben opened the door to greet her and prepare her for what she would see, but she wasn't waiting a second longer. She pushed past Ben and moved to the bed in the corner. She had to hold back a gasp when she saw Adam. If anything, the swelling had increased on his face, and he was pale. He was also still sleeping. Annie very gently embraced him and held herself against him. When she pulled away, Adam was looking at her. He tried to say something, but his voice was very weak so she leaned close to hear him. He struggled to say three things.

"Je t'aime, sweetheart."

"I hope I didn't hurt you, but I had to touch you to be sure you were really here."

"It felt good."

"What do you want me to do? I'll do anything you want."

"Just stay by me."

"I can do that. Hop Sing is here now too, and he'll brew up some tea and some broth for you. Just rest now, and I'll tell you about our son's latest antics." So for the next ten minutes, Annie entertained Adam with stories about Andrew. As his eyes began to droop, she told him he had to try to stay awake until Hop Sing's concoctions were ready. She leaned down to hear what he had to say to that and had to smile.

"That may make me want to sleep even more. Have you tasted those teas he makes me drink?"

Loud enough for Hop Sing to hear, Annie answered. "Yes, I have tasted a number of Hop Sing's concoctions, and I found them to be quite delicious."

"You're buttering him up now."

"Hop Sing doesn't need any buttering up. He's just wonderful the way he is."

Just after that comment, Hop Sing brought a cup of broth and a cup of tea for Adam. He set them on the small table next to the bed allowing Annie the pleasure of making sure Adam drank both. With the warm soothing drinks, Adam wanted to go to sleep, but Doctor Martin walked in the door then eliciting a groan from Adam instead. Paul was concerned about that.

"Is he in a lot of pain?"

"No, that's just his special greeting for doctors." Annie smiled down at Adam who scowled at her but couldn't hold it.

"Yes, I'm familiar with how the Cartwrights feel about doctors when they're the patient. They always like me a lot better when I'm treating another member of the family. And if I asked him how he was, he would say he was fine too." Everyone but Annie left the line shack then to let the doctor do his examination. He concurred with everything he had been told except he thought the bruising of the kidneys was serious, and that the cracked ribs were more of a problem too when he found one soft spot that indicated to him that part of one rib was slightly displaced.

"The kidneys will heal but he needs complete bed rest. That rib may not be a problem as long as it doesn't move. It could press on the lung or even puncture it which could be extremely serious."

"Can I go home?"

"Preferably, I would like you in bed in one place for a week, but I have to admit this line shack is far from ideal for that. So I'll give a guarded yes to you going home. I want you to rest here until tomorrow morning. Now I can see an argument building just by your look, but I have a very good reason. It's already afternoon. By the time they got you loaded in the wagon and headed home, they would have to hurry more than I would want. If you leave tomorrow morning, the wagon can travel slowly and even stop to give you a few breaks during the trip. You may think it isn't necessary, but tomorrow you may thank me for it."

Annie looked down at Adam and smiled. "That's reasonable, isn't it? I'll be here with you, and Hop Sing has all sorts of good things for you. You'll be stronger by tomorrow morning too with a good night's sleep and plenty to drink."

Giving in to the pressure, Adam simply nodded and closed his eyes to rest. He knew all too well that if he argued, his father and brothers would take the doctor's side, and he was in no shape to try to do anything on his own at the moment. His fingers were almost painful, and he couldn't even sit up by himself. He hated being an invalid but really had no choice. Almost as if the doctor was reading his mind, he began massaging Adam's right hand showing Annie how gently he wanted it done. Soon it was Annie's soft gentle fingers working the muscles in his hand and bending the fingers to restore flexibility and feeling. He had to admit his hands felt better after she finished, and he heard the doctor say that it should be done several times more that evening to increase the circulation to help reduce the swelling. Annie applied cool wet cloths to his face especially to his eyes soothing the pain and swelling. Whenever Hop Sing prepared a tea or broth, she spooned it for him until he had to go. Luckily Doctor Martin had thought to bring a brass urinal so he could take care of his necessary business without leaving the bed although someone had to place it and remove it for him. He told Annie how much he didn't like the feeling of helplessness and being cared for like a baby, but she reminded him that there was no alternative for him to which he had to reluctantly agree.

After Doctor Martin returned to town, and Joe and Candy returned to the ranch to take care of things there, sleeping arrangements for everyone else needed to be established. Adam wanted Annie to sleep beside him saying the bed was wide enough. She was a bit embarrassed to do that with the other men in the same cabin but Hoss and Ben took care of that by tacking a blanket to the ceiling to act as a makeshift wall next to the bed. Hoss had packed two mattresses in the back of the wagon for Adam's return trip and those were brought in for Ben and Hop Sing to use. Hoss used blankets, bedrolls, and a saddle to make a comfortable sleeping pad for himself in the wagon so he wouldn't disturb the others with his snoring. A lantern was left burning low on the table next to Adam's bed so that they wouldn't have to fumble in the dark when he needed something during the night. Adam was asleep before they finished preparations, and his soft snoring was reassurance to everyone that he would be all right.

In the morning, Adam was even more stiff than the day before but could open both eyes and asked for something solid to eat. Hop Sing obliged with a soft scrambled egg and a biscuit with more tea. Adam said he had enough tea to float a boat, but that only brought laughter and no sympathy. Although Adam claimed he could walk to the wagon by himself, that was proven wrong when he was unable to even swing his legs out of the bed. Annie and Ben helped him into a nightshirt after replacing any bandages that were soiled, and then Hoss and Ben got him to the wagon and stretched out on a mattress. He was exhausted just from that and fell asleep almost immediately which was a relief to Hoss who knew the first part of the ride home would be the bumpiest and least comfortable. If Adam could sleep until they reached the soft grass of a pasture and then the road, it would be a far more pleasant ride home. Hop Sing assured Hoss that Adam would sleep at least that long and be comfortable.

"You put something in his tea, didn't you? No wonder you were so insistent he had to drink it all this morning." Hoss had wondered at Hop Sing's persistence in getting Adam to drink the tea that made him grimace with every sip.

"Only put in tea what he need." Hop Sing was offended to think that Hoss believed he might have done something wrong.

"Oh, Hop Sing, I know you did. I'm just remembering his sour face when he drank it. When he figures out what you did, you're gonna have a heck of a time getting him to drink any more of your tea."

"I add sugar, lots of sugar next time. Maybe honey too. He not know."

Chuckles all around lightened the mood and made the long slow trip home more pleasant. By late in the afternoon, Adam was in his own bed. The only unpleasant note was that Andrew was scared of him, and only would go near him if Annie was holding him. He heard the voice and recognized it, but Adam's face was too bruised and swollen yet for him to be able to recognize him. It would take a few days for Andrew to relax around his father. Then he enjoyed that his father was there all day and in bed needing company. After two days, they even began taking their naps together. Adam did grouse about being confined to bed for a week, and then being confined to the house and forbidden to do anything for another week, but his wife and son did their best to keep him occupied.

Will and Laura had moved back to California with their children and Aunt Lil, and Will hoped to rebuild his business. Ben offered some financial assistance, but Will said he needed to do this on his own. At the end of two weeks, Maggie had officially concluded her investigation and submitted her resignation. She was staying at a boarding house in town until she and Hoss married. Coming home from a visit with Maggie, Hoss was waving a newspaper when he arrived in the house.

"Pa, Adam, ya gotta read this. A Senator from California and some members of Congress from Colorado and a slew of other politicians have resigned. They all have health or family issues requiring their attention. The heads of a couple of big companies in California have retired and are going on a grand tour of Europe with their families. It says here they don't plan to be back for several years. I asked Maggie if this was because of her investigation, and she just smiled. Ya think that means yes?"

Adam wanted the paper and read the whole article carefully. He handed it to his father then who did the same. When Ben finished reading, he looked at his sons and smiled. "Yes, Hoss, I think that is exactly what it means."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10 **

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Annie picked up Andrew so they could go outside to watch Adam chop wood. It was three weeks since he had come home, and just a week before, the sound had been a weak Thud! and then he would wait until the pain and weakness passed until he tried another blow. It had taken him a whole afternoon that first time just to fill the wood box by Hop Sing's stove. Each day, he had done more and this morning, he was chopping away with abandon. Annie smiled as she walked past Ben as he smiled in return. She did worry that Adam was getting too enthusiastic and might have a setback if he did too much, but when she saw him working with his shirt open and smiling when he saw her and Andrew, she knew he was fine.

It was good to have life returning to normal. Hoss and Joe were moving the herds to the lower pastures and would be separating out stock to drive to market. Maggie visited often except she had not been there that week because Hoss was up in the high pastures. She and Hoss had decided to live in the ranch house with the others. It would be crowded a bit until Adam's house was completed, but Maggie had never lived in such a bustling family and found it all very enjoyable. Hoss asked her if she would be bored living on a ranch and her answer pleased him greatly.

"Hoss, my life has always been too exciting. Growing up, there were parties and balls and constant social expectations. Then when I was recruited to find information for the government from powerful men, an element of danger was added. Then this last investigation almost cost me the life of my fiancé's brother. I have had too much excitement. I look forward to a more peaceful and natural life with you."

"That's what I aim to give ya then, darling. All you need to do is to promise to tell me if it gets too predictable or doesn't interest you. I never want you to feel you're missing something."

So Maggie and Hoss began planning the wedding except most of the decisions were made by Maggie after consulting with Annie and Michele. They planned on a Thanksgiving wedding, and if all went well, Adam and Annie would move to their new house then too.

Adam's injuries had prevented him from doing any work on his new house for almost two and one half weeks. But earlier that week, when he was strong enough, his father and brothers had given him a ride to his new home. The walls were up and windows and doors were in. The plastering had been done, and the house was livable. Stoves were installed as were a new bath tub and wash tub with drains to the outside. Finishing work like the crown molding and ceiling medallions were not done, and the equipment for the water closet had not yet arrived, but as Adam got stronger, he could do more of the finishing work. By the time that Hoss and Joe were home from the fall drive, Adam had begun to make headway on the finishing work in his house installing interior doors and crown molding. Annie and Michele were sewing curtains for the windows and quilts for the beds to match. Maggie came out to help as often as she could.

As plans for the wedding progresses, Adam and Annie got ready to move into their new home vacating the two adjoining bedrooms for Hoss and Maggie to take. Hoss wondered why they couldn't stay in his bedroom, but his father and Adam clued him in.

"Son, if you're married, you will likely need that second bedroom eventually so it makes sense to claim it now."

"What? Oh." And Hoss blushed a little but smiled too. The thought of having his own child was pretty exciting.

"And, big brother, you might find it's nice to have some privacy too. In addition, if you snore too loudly, Maggie can escape into that second bedroom for some quiet so she can sleep too."

"I don't snore that loud."

"In comparison to what? A herd of cows stampeding?" Ben had to chuckle at Adam's question even as Hoss struggled to think of a comeback. Hoss' snoring was legendary but never having heard himself, he continued to think they were just teasing him when they complained. The whole family was waiting to see what his reaction would be when Maggie mentioned his snoring.

As the wedding day approached, guest rooms were readied for Maggie's brother and his wife, Matthew and Priscilla, who were coming from Texas and traveling through Denver where they would meet their sister, Martha, who, according to Maggie, was the pretty one in the family. No one could even imagine that. Hoss helped Adam and Annie move into their new home and arrange furniture which kept his mind off the wedding day until the night before.

In the afternoon of the day before the wedding, Maggie's brother and sister arrived. Martha was as pretty as Maggie but in a different way much like both Adam and Joe were handsome but in different ways. Where Maggie was a beautiful woman, Martha was the cutest girl any of them had seen for quite a while. She had green eyes which set off the blond hair she had like her siblings. Where Maggie was tall and almost statuesque, Martha was petite. She joked that as the youngest, she never got enough to eat because Maggie and Matt grabbed it all, and she was too small to fight them for it. Hoss said that's funny because it was the same thing that had happened to Joe. Normally Joe would have taken offense at that comment but he was so smitten with Martha that Adam quipped that he wasn't even hearing anything they had to say.

"I've been hearing you two morons, but I've chosen not to lower myself to your level. For now, I prefer staying up here in heaven with an angel."

Adam made fake gagging sounds and Hoss acted like he was retching. Nothing seemed to get Joe to respond so they finally gave up. Hop Sing had prepared a sumptuous dinner of fish and noodles for everyone. He told them it was for abundance and prosperity. Adam picked up three small boxes he had brought into the house then. He handed one to Hop Sing, one to Annie, and one to Maggie.

"Originally, I had one made for my wife, but with everything that happened, I was not able to pick it up for her birthday. By the time I got to town, I had them make two more for very deserving people."

Opening his first, Hop Sing found a jade figurine of the river dragon holding aloft a large fish. "You remembered story I tell you as boy. It is for abundance and prosperity. I thank you." Ben was standing closest to Hop Sing and could swear he saw tears in the man's eyes as he returned to his kitchen.

Maggie opened hers next. It was a silver fish with emerald eyes. "I hope you don't have something new already for your wedding. Now all you need is the something old, borrowed, and blue."

Opening hers with anticipation after seeing the others, Annie was not disappointed. It was a golden river dragon with ruby eyes. She kissed Adam more passionately than the others usually saw her, but understood all the feeling behind that kiss. "It's going to look wonderful with my dress tomorrow. Thank you, sweetheart." After dinner, Adam and Annie left with Andrew to spend their first night in their new home as the guests settled in to the extra rooms with Maggie and Martha sharing Hoss's old room while Matt and Priscilla were downstairs.

The next morning, everyone had breakfast together and then went to dress. Hoss went to Adam's house because they invited him and because all the ladies said he could not see his bride in her dress until the wedding. Hoss was very nervous so Adam asked him to take care of Andrew while he and Annie dressed. He dressed as slowly as he could hoping that Hoss would get his mind off his upcoming wedding and be able to enjoy some time relaxing with Andrew who adored him. Then finally it was time to go to the house for the wedding. Once inside, Hoss stood nervously staring at the top of the stairs as guests milled about and Adam and Joe made sure everyone knew where they were to be for the ceremony. When Maggie appeared at the top of the stairs, Hoss was mesmerized and the crowd took a collective deep breath at the beauty she was especially all decked out in her hand embroidered and stitched wedding dress. Matthew escorted his sister down the stairs to stand beside Annie and Martha as Adam and Joe stood with Hoss.

Later, Hoss did not remember the ceremony but did remember the kiss to seal their marriage as the minister presented them as Mr. and Mrs. Eric Cartwright. There was the wedding feast, dancing, and lots of congratulations and toasts. All of it made Hoss more and more nervous. He was worried that when they got to the bedroom, Maggie might be disappointed in him as a husband. He had nothing to fear for she welcomed his gentle touches and kisses, and returned his passion with her own. They walked down the stairs the next morning arm-in-arm with their family sitting at the dining table. Hoss remembered the times he had seen Adam and Annie walk down just that way and now knew why they seemed to glow when they were together like that. He felt a fire inside that he was sure caused his skin to glow too.

At Adam's new house, he and Annie were working on their own glow again that morning. They had enjoyed the privacy of their new home the two nights they were there and the mornings. Andrew slept a little later here, and they assumed it was because it was a quieter house, and that his bedroom was on the opposite end of the hallway from theirs. Annie rested her head on Adam's chest and listened to the soothing sound of his steady heartbeat.

"It's all been worth it, hasn't it, Adam? All the trouble and everything have just made us stronger."

"Yes, but I could do with a bit less everything and a whole lot of good things happening. Speaking of good, how good a cook are you? I'm starving."

"Well, I'm not really hungry. I may just have some toast and tea, but I'll make some eggs and bacon with biscuits for you and Andrew. Maybe."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. I must have just overdone it with the food and dancing and everything last night. Just the thought of fixing that food made my stomach flip. I'll be fine just as soon as I have some toast."

Annie slipped out of bed, put on her robe, and headed toward the kitchen. Adam got up and put on his robe but with a thoughtful expression as he walked down the hall to pick up his son. It was a new day, and the first day of his brother Hoss' married life. He was looking forward to going to the house to tease him. He also hoped to tease Joe about his infatuation with Martha, but so far Joe had seemed impervious to such teasing. Annie had asked him if Joe was in love again. Adam had said he wasn't sure because he fell in and out of love so fast. They would have to wait and see on that and on other things.


End file.
